A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War’s most infamous spy, from the “master storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) and author of Prisoners of the Castle.
Now an MGM+ series starring Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, and Anna Maxwell Martin
“[A Spy Among Friends] reads like a story by Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, or John le Carré, leavened with a dollop of P. G. Wodehouse.”—Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review
Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.
Every word uttered in confidence to Philby made its way to Moscow, sinking almost every important Anglo-American spy operation for twenty years and costing hundreds of lives. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed? In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.
Based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files and told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, A Spy Among Friends is a fascinating portrait of a Cold War spy and the countrymen who remained willfully blind to his treachery.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness
Now an MGM+ series starring Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, and Anna Maxwell Martin
“[A Spy Among Friends] reads like a story by Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, or John le Carré, leavened with a dollop of P. G. Wodehouse.”—Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review
Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.
Every word uttered in confidence to Philby made its way to Moscow, sinking almost every important Anglo-American spy operation for twenty years and costing hundreds of lives. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed? In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.
Based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files and told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, A Spy Among Friends is a fascinating portrait of a Cold War spy and the countrymen who remained willfully blind to his treachery.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness
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Community Reviews
Not as enjoyable as Macintyre’s other spy books, but that’s simply because I never for one minute empathized with the main character. It’s a well-written book, and a good story that’s well worth knowing in its detail. It’s just a lot less fun than when you have a protagonist to root for.
Honestly, spending so much time on Philby’s duplicity should probably make the reader think more critically about the double agents who were on our side, and whether their deceitfulness is so different. I did find myself considering it, but only briefly—whether because the answer is a clear “yes” or simply because Macintyre doesn’t really focus on the question at all, I’m not sure.
Honestly, spending so much time on Philby’s duplicity should probably make the reader think more critically about the double agents who were on our side, and whether their deceitfulness is so different. I did find myself considering it, but only briefly—whether because the answer is a clear “yes” or simply because Macintyre doesn’t really focus on the question at all, I’m not sure.
I watched the 6 part drama on ITVX and found it rather confusing with all the backwards and forwards in time snatches so I have read the book which was used as a source text for the drama. If espionage, international politics and human relationships interest you then I’m sure you will enjoy this Non Fiction work. The right family, prep school, university and gentleman’s club were essential to acceptance into MI6 particularly in days gone by. The afterword by John Le Carré, my favourite author of the genre, adds his own recollections of Kim Philby and Co. I suggest reading the book first and then watch the drama.
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